Average 4G speeds in the UK drop under 15Mbps

The average 4G speed in the UK is now 14.7Mbps, according to a new research by Ofcom.

Ofcom gathered data over 120,000 speed tests in Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Poole and Bournemouth, and found out that the speeds have dropped from the average of 15.1 Mbps back in November last year.

The average 3G connection speed has also dropped, from 6.1Mbps to 5.9Mbps.

As V3’s Dan Worth writes, this could be down to the regulator’s changing the locations of where the data is gathered.

Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester were not included in these tests.

Speeds among providers also varied, where EE was the fastest with the average speed of 18.6 Mbps, while Three was the slowest. Its speeds fell from 10.7Mbps to 8.5Mbps.

Vodafone’s speeds were averaging 16.4 Mbps, which represents a 2.1 Mbps increase in six months.

O2 also dropped from 15.6Mbps to 13.9Mbps.

Claudio Pollack, Ofcom’s consumer and content group director, said the results showed that 4G is delivering a vastly superior performance to 3G.

“4G is delivering a significantly enhanced mobile experience and, as these services roll out across the UK, our research will support consumers when choosing the right mobile package for their needs," he said.

This table shows each operator's 4G and 3G speed averages:

Even though the speeds dropped, BT will be pleased with the results, given that it’s in the middle of buying EE for £12.5 billion.

On the other hand, O2 will have a thing or two (or three) to think about while it’s being acquired by Three.